Camo MMA - California MMA - Camo CSAC

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TUESDAY, August 25th, 2009, AT 4:00 PM/PST

California
Approves Amateur MMA

SPECIAL TO ISCF: Yesterday the The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) delegated authority of amateur MMA to the newly formed California Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Organization (CAMO). CSAC commissioner Mario Rodriguez, who co-chaired a committee with commissioner June Collision that reviewed and selected candidate organizations on August 20th, said amateur MMA could be enacted as soon as CAMO is capable to oversee it.

As required by the legislation in California, CAMO is a non-profit organization. The CSAC has given all control of amateur MMA to them to sanction events, much like USA Boxing oversees the amateur boxing circuit in California.

The only red flag that jumps up here is that CAMO has no hands on experience in regulating or sanctioning a fight sport event. This is simply because CAMO is new and has never sanctioned or regulated a fight sport event. This issue came up as a possible problem noted by commissioner Mario Rodriguez in a CSAC meeting last week when determining which organization would get the nod. Apparently, experience was not a required asset in the commissions selection process to appoint a body that will have sole control over Amateur MMA in California.

"I found it odd that the Commission selected 'Anyone' at all at yesterday's meeting." said Jeff Starks, a reporter for an MMA site. "Although CAMO has all their non-profit paperwork in place, it doesn't mean they know what is involved in regulating an MMA event, I think the State is in for quite a surprise in the coming months. The real question though is, 'Do they really care?' and it appears not."

CAMO representatives, Jeremy Lappen (Left) and J.T. Steele (both formerly of Pro Elite), said the organization will introduce regulations and organization details in a press release in the coming weeks.

There were two other MMA Sanctioning bodies applying for this position along with CAMO. Although they were the first ever MMA sanctioning body, (created in 1999) the largest MMA sanctioning body in the world today and clearly the most experienced and qualified, the ISCF, International Sport Combat Federation, was not selected for only one reason... They are not a "Non Profit" organization.

"It's California's written law, and it's set in stone." Said ISCF President Steve Fossum. "As much as we would like to have been selected for the position, we just have no desire to be a non-profit organization. We were asked to attend last weeks meeting by CSAC Assistant Executive Officer Bill Douglas. He said the issue of the ISCF not being non-profit would not be an issue. However, we were clearly misinformed because Mario Rodriguez made it clear that the selected organization must be a "non-profit" organization. Once we realized this, the question was, 'Who do we side with?' Yes, there were issues related to experience with CAMO, and possibly the right choice may have been no choice. However amateur MMA in California needs to move forward. So, knowing the history of the other non-profit organization our decision was to side with CAMO. Once the decision was made we made it clear that if they need any help from us, we will assist if asked."

The other sanctioning body was KICK International out of St. Louis, Missouri. KICK is a non profit organization but was denied their application for the position for many different reasons. It's a blessing in itself to those in California that the State Commission did not select KICK. KICK has been the center of complaints by many in MMA for years now in several states. It's a wonder they are even allowed to sanction any fight sport at all, let alone MMA.

CAMO has the authority to begin sanctioning Amateur MMA in California as early as this weekend but nothing has been confirmed as of yet. It may take some time for them to organize their officials and event regulations. They have yet to even launch a website we could refer you to. No one has been informed of any of their sanctioning fees or procedures other than they will be charging $35 per fighter along with fees for cornermen, officials and of course, promoters.

The coming months will show everyone if CAMO was the right choice for Amateur MMA in California or an organization that could take advantage of their monopoly in California. Some have claimed their desire is to corner the market on fighter management as California Amateur MMA fighters make the transition from amateur to professional. With California MMA promoters such as Roy Englebrecht (Left) on their CAMO advisory board, this may be true, but has yet to be proven. Still, everyone just needs to sit back and relax and watch what CAMO does in the coming months. The good news is that amateur fighters can now fight as amateurs in California, and no matter what all the pros and cons are, that alone is a good thing... We hope.

POST DATED: 10-14-09:

CAMO Opens Their Website
www.camomma.org

Founded in 2009, California Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Organization, Inc.(CAMO), is a non-profit corporation dedicated to help foster the growth of the sport of amateur Mixed Martial Arts and to oversee the health, safety and welfare of the athletes that choose to participate in it. On August 24, 2009, the California State Athletic Commission officially delegated to CAMO the exclusive authority to regulate Amateur Mixed Martial Arts and Pankration in the State of California. In the near future, CAMO will be authorizing the conduct of amateur Mixed Martial Arts and Pankration contests throughout California. Applications for licensure of participants,event promoters, and others, along with the complete set of rules and regulations governing such contests, will soon be available from CAMO. For inquiries, contact us at info@camomma.org

POST DATED: 10-30-09:

CAMO Sanctioning Fees In Question
For A NON PROFIT - State Appointed Organization

CAMO finally has their website up and running and sadly, many of those negative financial rumors are now proven to be true.
CAMO has now made history for the most "Expensive" MMA Sanctioning in the history of the sport.
Does "Non Profit" really mean a better deal for Amateur MMA?
Well, you be the judge...

POST DATED: 11-4-09:

CAMO Officials Certification & License Fees
In Question
For A NON PROFIT - State Appointed Organization

Anyone wanting to be a CAMO Official? Well, it appears there are more hands in the pot. Everyone here knows and respects Big John McCarthy, the "Original" UFC Referee. Well, John has ventured out to do MMA Seminar courses which we all feel is great for John and from what we hear, he does great courses as well, so this post is not about any "Negative" aspects of Big John. What is questioned here is his companies association with the "Not For Profit" CAMO Organization.

What is in question here in regards to the relationship are the prices to certify officials to work for CAMO. For just anyone looking to be an MMA Official, and wanting to learn from basically, a "Celebrity", his fees are fair. However, CAMO is a "Not For Profit" organization so one would think, as in USA Boxing (Who DOES NOT outsource their training seminars), that there would be an inexpensive MMA Officials course for potential CAMO Officials to attend... Well, not the case. Instead, CAMO has directed all potential CAMO Officials to John's "For Profit" company called COMMAND - www.mmareferee.com

Now we understand that EVERY Company needs to make money to survive. However, many here thought the advantage of having a "Not For Profit" Company run Amateur MMA in California was because of the cost breaks and "Accountability". Well, so far, the CSAC has asked for NO Accountability from CAMO. In fact, at the last CSAC meeting, it was a relationship made in heaven. Everything CAMO had to address was met with a "Coke and a Smile" from those on the CSAC Board. in other words, once again, they were all just happy "Someone else" was now dealing with Amateur MMA... The "Delegation" worked as planned.

Could it be true that Pro MMA and Boxing Promoters such as Roy Englebrecht (Left) supported CAMO to assure he would have a say in what they do? And part of that say was to keep the Amateur MMA Promoters fees HIGH so there would not be much PRO Event competition. This of course was once a rumor, but as the facts stack up, it appears this to be more and more like the plan. Heck, it makes the CSAC look good, and helps out their bottom line in the income from Pro MMA events. What doesn't make sense is WHY would CAMO follow along with such an idea? Is there more to this idea? Who knows, but if something comes up, you can find it here...

To begin with, COMMAND makes the claim of "Command is the only nationally recognized training and certification program offered in North America for mixed martial arts referees and judges." CAMO of course has written this on their website as well ( -SEE HERE- )

However, a quick check with the ABC, Association of Boxing Commissions - www.abcboxing.com and this was found to be NOT True. In fact, there is "NO nationally recognized training and certification program in north america for mixed martial arts referees and judges"... unless, they are recognized by each other maybe???

So our question is, WHO has appointed COMMAND as the "Nationally Recognized training and certification program for mixed martial arts referees and judges?" Simple answer... No one...

So, we checked some more and the next thing that bothered us was the fees these "Non Profit" CAMO Officials will need to pay to become "COMMAND Certified" to work CAMO events. Apparently, certification from the California State Athletic Commission is OK with CAMO... This being despite the FACT that officials have been appointed for years to work CSAC events with NO Official training from the CSAC!

However, other good courses where there is ACTUAL TRAINING for officials is NOT Good enough for CAMO. Certification courses from MMA Sanctioning bodies such as the ISCF or ISKA etc. are not good enough. So is COMMAND another income source for the "Not For Profit" CAMO organization? Well, we have no proof of this and we certainly don't want to bag on Big John because we like him, as a person and a referee and we praise him for starting up his own company. Kudos to Big John! Our only question, which is a legit one, is HOW did COMMAND become the official CAMO Certification course? Makes you wonder doesn't it...?

Here is a comparison of Officials Certification Training Fees and license fees between the "Non Profit CAMO" and the "For Profit ISCF". Lets see who is making a profit here...

FEES TO EVENT
OFFICIALS

POST DATED: 11-8-09:

SOME DISTURBING VIDEO...

We Had To Share This...

We thought about doing a long and involved led in story about this You Tube video but we decided, it pretty much speaks for itself...
The clip you are about to see will put you into SHOCK about how a Government organization deals with an issue they know they may have handled wrong. However, instead of fixing it the right way, they would rather hope it just gets swept under the rug and goes away... Not So.

Recently, the California State Athletic Commission - CSAC - "All of a sudden" created a law on their own (without any legislative approval) saying that the newly appointed CAMO organization is now the regulator of not just Amateur MMA, but all of a sudden, a sport both CAMO organization and the CSAC know very little about, Pankration too!

So, someone heading up the fight against this "Made up Rule" asked the Commission to officially rule on it and they were going to call him back. Well, like many here in California have experienced over the last year, there was no return call. In fact, what you are about to witness will pretty much blow you away. Call after call being answered and the CSAC staff on the other end just hangs up. How Professional is this of a PUBLIC - GOVERNMENT Organization!?
This is how the CSAC Avoids answering to an issue they know they delt with wrong. Click Here.

• Interesting reads About CAMO and those associated with it:
  • "Communist Amateur MMA Organization",
  • Is Jeremy Lappen the Armando Garcia of Amateur MMA in California
  • Are leaders of CAMO really involved with a Promotion Called "Bully Beatdown"? YES, - CLICK HERE To see Jeremy Lappen's name as a Co-Executive Producer.
    • What is "Bully Beatdown?" - CLICK HERE.
  • Jeremy Lappen Admits Guilt
  • There are plenty of more links to direct you to, but there are also more articles to come, so we will save them for those articles...

POSTED: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 by Loretta Hunt (lhunt@sherdog.com)

CAMO
Oversees First California Amateur Fights on Friday

The newly formed California Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Organization (CAMO) will oversee its first event, a pro-am All Star MMA show in Montebello, Calif., on Friday in conjunction with the California State Athletic Commission.

On Aug. 24, the CSAC unanimously delegated to CAMO, a non-profit organization, the exclusive authority to regulate amateur MMA bouts in the state, much like USA Boxing oversees the amateur boxing circuit in California. Until then, amateur events had been illegal in the state, unless held on sovereign land, due to no regulatory oversight for health and safety concerns.

CAMO will "provide licensing services for promoters, inspectors, fighters, trainers, referees and judges intent on competing in and working at amateur MMA or Pankration events in California," said a press release circulated on Wednesday.

CAMO will also maintain records for amateur fighters, as well as officials and promoters at www.camo-mma.org, its official Web site. CAMO has also selected veteran referee John McCarthy's C.O.M.M.A.N.D. program as the requisite training requirement for referee and judging officials who are not already commission-licensed.

In addition, MMA veterans Dan Henderson, Bas Rutten, Erik Paulson, and McCarthy have been named to a seven-member advisory board for CAMO. They will be joined by industry professionals Josh Schwartz, Steve Rusich, and Marc Altieri.

CAMO was created by former Pro Elite executives Jeremy Lappen and J. T. Steele earlier this year and was selected by the CSAC following a candidate review process conducted by commissioners Mario Rodriguez and June Collision last August. Steele will serve as CAMO's President and Lappen as CEO and Chairman.

Under CAMO's Amateur Mixed Martial Arts (AMMA) regulations, bouts will be contested under rules nearly identical to the professional version, except for the omission of elbow strikes in all positions. A novice division, for amateur fighters with 10 or less verified bouts on their record, will contest three two-minute rounds. An open division, for fighters with 11 or more amateur bouts, will institute three-minute rounds. All fighters will be required to submit blood tests and other medical requirements.

CAMO will charge a $2,500 fee to promoters wishing to hold an amateur event in a venue with a capacity of 500 people or more. Events held at a venue with less than a 500-person capacity must pay $1,250 to CAMO. Additionally, amateur promoters will be required to pay separate fees for referees, judges, timekeepers, a ringside physician and inspectors to work the event according to a pay scale already established by CAMO. A senior official, most likely commission-certified to start, will oversee junior officials at the events, said CAMO CEO Lappen.

"(The $1,250-2,500 fee) goes basically to the funding and operations of CAMO, the running of the website. We will be keeping official records of all the medical process, assigning all officials to the events, overseeing that database," said Lappen.

Lappen, who helped produce 17 EliteXC and ShoXC events under the Pro Elite brand between 2007-2008, said CAMO officials will also assist promoters in the running of the events. Lappen believes many could be first-time promoters.

"The idea for this is for people not to go out of business," said Lappen. "I think promoters will be able to make a profit from this."

Currently, Lappen said he and Steele are not salaried by CAMO, but that surplus fee money not contributed to CAMO's overhead will eventually go towards that.

"At some point, we will take a salary," said Lappen. "Because it's a non-profit, there are specific rules about that. We will hire a third-party consulting company to set our salaries based on what we're doing and our experience and it will be a reasonable salary based on everything."

Lappen said additional excess profits made by CAMO could also go toward scholarships programs and hiring additional personnel, if needed.

"We're not sure how this thing is going to play out," said Lappen. "There may be very little demand for this or there may be a lot."

Lappen said CAMO's main goal is to provide a state-approved program that will allow for novice fighters and officials to develop their skills in a setting conducive with adequate health and safety standards.

CAMO already has six amateur events scheduled and will oversee its first all-amateur event, a California Fight Syndicate show, on Nov. 28 in Santa Maria.

NOTE: Nice Try... However, It's clear CAMO
"Is What it IS! A SCAM for Amateur MMA in California!!!"

PS: No idea if this event ever happened... For that $2,500, CAMO doesn't even post event Results on their own website...

POST DATED: 1-19-10:
Article Posted: January 8th, 2010 | By: Reverend Turk Vangel

C.A.M.O.
Killing Amateur MMA in California

From www.Fighters.com - CLICK HERE.

The California Amateur Martial Arts Organization (CAMO) was voted to be the governing body for amateur MMA in California by the California State Athletic Commission. Prior to this vote amateur MMA was basically illegal and the only events were "smokers" held at gyms. CAMO's policies and fees are essentially putting an end to something that never truly existed in the state and is forcing young fighters to go pro well before they are ready.

CAMO is run by Jeremy Lappen (Right) and JT Steele (Left) of the now defunct EliteXC. According to their website, "CAMO is a non-profit corporation dedicated to help foster the growth of the sport of amateur Mixed Martial Arts and to oversee the health, safety and welfare of the athletes that choose to participate in it." Sadly I do not see them fostering anything, rather I see them hindering the growth of the sport. First off the amateur fighter that usually takes his paycheck straight to the gym in order to pay for the training is now required by law to register with state. This does not seem terribly erroneous until you read what is required to register. Registration costs each fighter over $100 and then they are required to pay $125 for a physical and blood work. This is a total of $225 before they are even allowed to fight. Remember, these are fighters that do not get paid to fight and as I stated already they spend most of their money on school or dojo fees.

Maybe this does not seem like a lot of money to you but let's compare California to Ohio. I picked Ohio because that is where I live and am quite familiar as to what it takes to fight in the state. Currently the Ohio Athletic Commission requires fighters to pay an application licensing fee of $20. This plus a standard physical form must be submitted in order to get licensed in Ohio. Why is it that a non-profit organization needs an amateur fighter to pay $100 just to register? They are essentially making the sport less attractive to young men and women who are thinking about taking part in mixed martial arts in California.

Another issue with CAMO is that they are requiring all fighters to use a rashguard that they recieve upon registering. No fighter will be allowed to fight without wearing the official CAMO rashguard. Once the rashguard wears out they are then required to purchase a new one through CAMO. Along the same lines are the gloves that will be used in the amateur fights. Gloves will be 8 ounce gloves. Most standard glove manufacturers make either 4 or 7 ounce gloves. However there will be no need to hunt down someone making the odd 8 ounce gloves. CAMO will supply all fighters with a pair of CAMO gloves upon registering. Once those gloves wear down, the leather cracks, the padding starts to become compressed, those gloves are now useless and the fighter must then purchase another pair through CAMO at a cost I have not been able to find.

Maybe it is just me but it seems to me like CAMO is in the business of making money rather than being a non-profit that is supposed to oversee the amateur fights in California. Once again I would like to reference Ohio. It is the promoters responsibility to provide all fighters with gloves for each fight that have been approved by the commission. This eliminates the cost to the young and more than likely broke amateur fighter and puts that cost on the promoter.

If I was an amateur fighter I can tell you right now there is no way I would want to fight in California under those stipulations. I would instead look to leave the state to fight in Nevada, Arizona or another more amateur friendly state. This leads me to wonder how many fighters will actually pay up and how many will fight outside the state in order to avoid the fees CAMO is requiring. It could also lead to many fighters skipping the amateur circuit all together and going pro in order to get sponsors and make money off of fights. Is this what we want from a group that is supposed to be advancing the sport in that state? It should be there job to help amateurs get into the sport, stay as safe as possible while competing and help them to move into the pro ranks by way of great experiences in the fight game.

One other thing I would like to mention that I can't recall seeing in any other states rules for amateur MMA is a rule that bewildered me. Excessive coaching by a second is prohibited. This is directly from the rules and regulations "A second shall not excessively coach a contestant during a round and shall remain seated and silent when so directed by an inspector. Excessive coaching may lead to a point deduction by the referee, ejection from the venue, and/or disciplinary action by CAMO." After reading this I thought that Matt Serra (9-6) would be a bad choice for a coach in California.

CAMO seems to have gotten one thing right anyway. That would be their name. Due to what the fighters must go through, the money it will cost to actually fight in California as an amateur and the odd coaching rule, they are more of a para military organization that a well respected governing body. I am shocked that the California State Athletic Commision actually voted in favor of this. I believe that CAMO will lead to the destruction of amateur MMA in California and it won't be long before they end up just like their former business, EliteXC.

• Replies to above Article:
  • January 8th, 2010 at 17:43: I wonder if you sponsored an ammy event in CA and you put your logo on the ammy fighter's rash guard, who would receive the money? CAMO?
    
    
  • January 8th, 2010 at 21:49: Very good article! It is robbery what they are doing to fighters that love this sport and know that maybe they will never become pro but put on a performance for us! Non profit…my ass!!!!
    
    
  • January 9th, 2010 at 07:27: 225$ for a amateur fighter is a lot money. Most fighter don't have a big money flow. that more them most gyms
    
    
  • January 9th, 2010 at 11:15: As a MMA coach i know the imortance of bringing new fighters up the ranks, here in uk if i had to ask for the 225$ thats being asked for in CA , i think i would be out of new talent, for MMA to continue to grow and push out the new randy coutures, matt lindlans, A nogera, and the like we need to keep the doors open and not closed…Please CAMO help the sport of MMA and think about those struggling to reach the middle and top ranks…
    
    
  • January 12th, 2010 at 14:26: as a former ammy fighter (but not pro) in cali, i gotta say at least there IS an ammy org out here now! sucks that camo is doing all this, but to fight in vegas there is travel, hotel, food and license or registration or whatever kind of fees accroding to org, commision or whatever. so, if my choice is $300 for a fight in cali, or $800 for a fight in vegas…again, at least the option is there finally.
    
    
  • January 12th, 2010 at 16:14: In addition to what was already mentioned and after speaking directly to the CEO of CAMO (Lappen - Right), did you know that as a promoter, you must provide CAMO with film of your event. As stated by the CEO, they are going to use that film to put on their website, give out to matchmakers, and give out to fight camps so that they can better train their fighters to fight whoever it is that they are fighting. Did you also know that as a promoter, if a fighter shows up and has forgotten any of his CAMO gear, the fight will be canceled unless the promoter has taken it upon him/herself to purchase additional rash guards and gloves from CAMO. Doesn't this sound a bit like a monopoly to you??? Let's see, taking the video rights away from the promoters, using the film to promote their own site, exclusive on gloves and rashguards, and let me add this last thought. As this sport progresses in California, and the California State Athletic Commission finally gets their crap together (which is questionable anyway), I believe that some day the commission will take back Amateur MMA and run it themselves. Doens't anyone find it odd that CAMO, by mandating their logo's on the gloves and rashguards of all fighters, seems to be setting themselves up for the future in that once the commission takes back Amateur MMA, their company or logo is ready to market and in fact has been marketed so that they have instant exposure for a wonderful MMA fight line, all on our money. Sounds like unfair business advantages for the future. ps. Was going to start promoting Amateur MMA in Cali, but not under these rules, hello casino's.
    
    
  • January 13th, 2010 at 07:22: Great response Larry. We should be more vocal and make sure as many people read this as possible.
    
    
  • January 14th, 2010 at 14:36: Great article that brings up what a scam CAMO is. You didn't even touch on the ridiculous fees CAMO charges for promoters to put on shows. For shows with capacity of less than 500 seats – they want $1250 up front. This money does not go to any of the other needs a promoter must pay for. It doesn't include insurance ( cost another $500), judges (3 x $100), doctor ($100-$300), refs( 2 x $100 ), ambulance ($300-$500). They even require you to pay for a CAMO official to present to oversee the event at the expense of an additional $150. What is that $1250 going toward exactly? The whole thing is a scam – and the contract CAMO was awarded by the state is looking more and more likely that it wasn't legally awarded. CSAC has long been considered corrupt or at least extremely dysfunctional. I fully expect the CA combat sports community to reject this bullshit and unfortunately take the amateur program underground.
    
    
  • January 19th, 2010 at 14:00: The only other legit organization competiting with CAMO was disqualified at the last minute because they were not a non profit. I don't see how CAMO is a non profit with all the money they are asking for. Everyone forgot to mention that CAMO also gets 5% of ticket sales and $500 a year just to call yourself a promoter. The $1250 to $2500 plus all the other BS fees cannot be justified since they do nothing except keep a data base of fighters. Judges, Inspectors and Referees just have to pay CAMO money for their jobs. Referees have to pay $500 to go though a CAMO appointed referee school. As high as these fees are, there is noting that will prevent them from hiking them further. Jeremy Lappen and JT Steele care nothing about charity or Amateur MMA. They are only involved to make a buck. It amazing that they are still around after the Elite XC Kimbo Slice incident. If the CSAC collected this much money from Amateur MMA they would be debt free. Maybe the people behind this will soon have jobs with CAMO.
    
    
  • January 21st, 2010 at 02:59: camo is a joke, non profit my ass! im a pro fighter in ca. and besides being a fighter, im an ring anouncer and ringside comentator- and believe me when i say that ive seen everything and all aspects of mma. the athletic commission in california is comprimized and has lost its integrity with recent scandals,and camo just happend to recieve the contract- thats strange if you ask me. this fake ass non-profit organization is all about profit. if its non profit then why are all my own fighters having to pay these outrageous prices just to compete in an amateur event -and why is it that i can only obtain acceptable fight gloves thrue them? espeacialy when I can purchace very easily a 7-8oz. safety mma glove @ combat enternational that meets all the safety standards for athletic commisioned mma fights, amateur or pro. why? Because this whole amateur mma thing was born to capitalize on the the fighting and competitive spirit of the fighters, im refering to the shere desire of each contestant to fight-camo strikes me as just another one of those shady mma promoters in california that exploits mma fighters and wants only one thing . MONEY ! This was all put together to help the amature figher, not by any means to put him/her in financial ruin just to compete. thats why i personaly want to publicly anounce that @ the Hoopa Rezervation in Humbolt Co. is where i will be entering my fighters for amatuer events , the ca. athletic commission has no right on this beautifull Indian land, we dont have to pay all these ( NON-PROFIT ) FEES, AND WE DONT HAVE TO DEAL WITH ALL THE HEAD ACHES. OFCOURSE, BLOOD TEST ARE STILL REQUIRED FOR THE SAFETY OF THE ATHLETES-but i can ashure all reading this that it all happens without any headache. @ present time,im in possession of the only completely NATIVE AMERICAN MMA FIGHT TEAM THATS LOCATED IN sACRAMENTO,CA. All those who wish to compete in amateure mma without all the leaches and predators like camo, go to BRASS KNUX PRODUCTIONS and im shure all will be happy with hassle free. WREKN-AZTEKN !
    
    
  • January 21st, 2010 at 12:07 This is the Joker who co chaired the committee that choose CAMO to oversee Amateur MMA. www.fppc.ca.gov/agendas/12-09/RodriguezEx.pdf
    
    
  • January 25th, 2010 at 00:56 BY Cali: WOW – One has to wonder if Mr. Rodriguez received anything from Elite XC which would have givin them (CAMO in their present from) an advantage in recieving approval over other applicants. Unfortuntly this is only the beginning as the Commission may have granted CAMO athourity to regulate other forms of Martial Arts aside from MMA. They recently took a small step into the direction when they attemted to give regulation of of Amateur Pankration to CAMO. At the Dec 21st CSAC meeting the executive Officer recommended that this delegation be put on hold until a formal legal opinion is drafted. Mr. Rodriguez rejected the recomendation and announced that CAMO will also regulate Amateur Pankration. I contacted DCA legal for clearity and still awaiting a response. We have self governed Amateur Pankration for the past eight years without incident or any issues with the CSAC. In fact we disclosed our events and rules as far back as 2005. All of a sudden this year the CSAC have taken a position that the sport is in need of regulation. They first rasied the issue that they were concerned about the health and welfare of the competitors. We think we were able to prove that our events were indeed safe with very few injuries and appropriate medical services on staff. They now say that Pankration uses Full Contact Martial Arts Techniques and they have the athourity to regulate it and give the regulation to CAMO. We hold the position that we do not allow Full Contact Martial Art Techniques because Strikes are limited to the body and must be delivered in a controlled manner. Matches cannot be won by injury and violators risk disqualification. We even changed our rules to fit the CSAC description of "light Contact" . The real danger is, if they define Pankration as having Full Contact Martial Art Techniques, they can also include Jiujitsu , Karate , Taekwondo etc… They have not said what "Full Contact Martial Arts Techniques" are ?– Full Contact Chokes or Arm Bars , Karate Strikes to the body , Wrestling Cross Face or Double Leg Takedown , Taekwkondo kicks etc…. Hopfully this entire deal will get investigated. We always belived someting shaddy was going on especially since the Interm Executive Officer William Douglas would not responed to at least 6 or 7 questions we had starting back in March 09 when we learned someting was in the works. Thus we never had a chance to respond to the proposed regulation of the Sport we developed for the past 8 years.
    
    
  • January 28th, 2010 at 15:16: Unfortunately, a lot of organizations, whether they are non-profit or not, are usually corrupt or something is wrong with them because nothing is perfect. But looking at CAMO in a positive perspective, I like knowing that the fighter that's going against my boyfriend checked out fine in the physical and blood exam and is not some delinquent that can later hunt him down. I know it may sound a bit extreme but let's face it, they are not professional fights and most fighters don't act like professional fighters either. When one is professional there are a lot of lil things that you have to take care of that are not looked at when fighting amateur. With official ameteur events you get legit refs (not the owner of a gym that may hold a biase), legit matches, and experience/insight into becoming professional. Yes, i agree it is pricey but at the same time there are other ways to get things done. For a the physical and blood one can go to a clinic (for example planned parenthood for free blood test). And for the fighter fee, the fighter can start saving money, $115 is not too pricey if that's what you want, if anything, they can start writing letters for sponsors, to get to learn the trade!!! It's a learning experience, this CAMO amateur organization for the fighters, and why not use it as such! If anything, shouldn't we be thinking of the safety, health, and promotions of the fighters? With more supporters for the organiztion we can develop it to bigger than what it is now (as it's growing in popularity at an exponentially increasing level). My boyfriend does complain about the gloves, the rash guard, and the prices but at least you know that the person that's going against you is going through the same exact issues and has the same exact equipment. Just a little positive thought to ponder.
    • REPLY TO ABOVE POST
      • IS THIS PERSON ( Cali ) AN IDIOT!?
        WHAT A RIDICULOUS POST!
        Obviously this person has NO IDEA about how "Sanctioning" and event "Regulating" happens in other parts of the USA or other parts of the WORLD for that matter.
        NO WHERE in the "WORLD" do Amateur Fighters pay anywhere near these OUTRAGEOUS CAMO FEES!
        NO WHERE in the "WORLD" do Promoters pay anywhere near these OUTRAGEOUS CAMO SANCTIONING FEES! $1,500??? TO $2,500? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!
        And the ONLY reason the officials are doing some what well is that 85% of them are "California State Athletic Commission Officials!"
        Most other sanctioning bodies already require blood testing, so this is no big hara for CAMO!
        Glad to hear your happy about your boyfriend, but clearly he is an "AMATEUR" at many levels, as are you. If you really want to learn how ridiculous and money hungry the CAMO group is, read this entire page. Maybe at that time, you will have been educated about what a RIP OFF CAMO is to the sport of MMA!

POST DATED: 2-2-10:

C.A.M.O.
FLOPS
In The Backyard Of The California State Commission Office!

SPECIAL TO ISCF: I have been asked not to make too much of this but I was finally given permission to at least post "Something" that tells the truth about the recent CAMO Sanctioned event at the Raddison Hotel in Sacramento, CA. I really feel sad for the event promoters, who did their part to make the event a success from matchmaking to packing the house. However as for the organization of the CAMO crew, "What a Cluster F#$%!!!

To begin with, weigh-ins were suppose to start at 2:00. The CAMO staff didn't even get to Sacramento until about 3:30 PM, the same day as the fights. Still, weigh-ins did not even begin until about 5:30.... For an event who's doors were suppose to open at 6:PM.

The wonderful Ringside Doctor, Dr. Wallace, who has been known to upset a lot of promoters here in California for his "I'm worth a zillion dollars attitude" finally arrived around 7:00 to start giving the fighters physicals... What did they consist of? I had to laugh... All he did to our fighter was a simple check the pulse, cough and "Your fine!"

Well, finally, the original 7:00 PM start time happened at 8:05... Over an hour late to a large and rowdy crowd...

CAMO and State of California Judge and Referee George Adkins should be BANNED FROM FIGHT SPORTS! Not only did he SUCK with his positioning as a referee, but he was caught "TEXTING" while being a ringside judge, AS THE FIGHT WAS TAKING PLACE, NOT during a round break, DURING THE FIGHTS! Here's the kicker, NO ONE from the CAMO Officials staff bothered to talk to him about it. Finally a "Volunteer" from the California State Commission caught him doing it and told him to put his cell phone away... What a laugh he was!.

I was surprised at the fighters who had wraps that were never signed off, and looked like a 5 year old wrapped their hands, but even more surprised at the fighters such as Freddie Patino who didn't wear any wraps at all!

Back to my buddy, referee Adkins, bout 5 (*Jack Smith Vs T.J. Dillashaw) only had 2 judges. Adkins never checked off his judges before starting the bout as the bout referee... Good thing the bout was won by a tapout in round 1 by Dillashaw, but it took the entire ringside staff OUTSIDE the cage to help Adkins call a stop to the bout. He was standing behind all the front action of the fighters, leaning on the cage as he seemed to do during all his bouts... WHO Approved this guy to be a "California State Certified Judge AND MMA REFEREE" needs to get their eyes examined, or empty their pockets for the approval bribe because this guy just SUCKED and is a DANGER to ALL Fighters and the sport!

(*) I found it funny how there was 2 fighters named Jack Smith... Were there really?

Gladly the other officials did good, so I can't take any stabs there, but than again, there were "California State Ringside Officials" and NOT CAMO officials (Susan Gitlin-Thomas, John Schorle and Dan Stell)

I don't know who the CAMO scorekeeper was but he too needs a general math course! It often took him up to 3 minutes to add up the scorecards, and on one, he added wrong and it had to be re-read. Good thing there was only like 4 decisions of the 15 bout night.

Back to my hero Adkins. WHY would he raise the hand of a winner in a "Decision" bout BEFORE the ring announcer announced the winners name? WHY was he "ALL NIGHT" making friends with the fighters he was about to ref, smiling and joking as he was stopping bouts (bout 10) as well as joking with the fighters after he was their ref? What happened to the requirement of a ring official being impartial? He did everything but get his photo taken with them, but maybe that happened outside the cage...

As things were going I thought we were going to see 2:AM. But to my surprise, the whole thing ended right at midnight. It was plenty of time to fill up the rowdy portion of the crowd with beer and the result was that I and everyone else saw more fights outside the ring that there were in the ring. Still, it was a fun night. I think I had more complaints about the California State Commission Referee Adkins than CAMO.

ISCF President Steve Fossum was a friend of the promoters so he was at cageside as a guest to watch the action, so of course, I had to ask his thoughts about the night, which he answered, "You want me to start something here and keep going just for a story don't you? I don't think I need to say anything. We all saw what we saw and now CAMO and the State of California has to answer to it or live with it. As someone at the commission meeting said, 'I just don't want to be the one to say 'I told ya so', but, what else can be said?""

Come on Steve, you need to man-up and tell it like it was! Tell it like you really saw it, as we all did. I think CAMO was lucky to have a few good "California State Commission Officials" working the show that basically saved the show because no one from CAMO did. Hell, they couldn't even add up scorecards, not to mention arrive on time to start their own weigh-ins. Did any of us miss something? Clearly NO! I can't help but wait to see the next circus when it comes to town and I'm not sure if I will help out or coach if any of our fighters fight on the event. Still, for the "Hundreds" we had to dell out to CAMO for our guys licenses, physicals and on and on, we should try and get our money's worth before we have to give our custom CAMO rash guards back at the end of the year, and those fancy non CAMO gloves. Oh, no one mentioned that? Ya, we are "Renting" them for the money we paid. Now that's a laugh!

Props to the Promoter Gary Shurley and his Stand Up Fighters crew, but dude, you need to lobby for a sanctioning body that knows what the hell they are doing. Damm, KICK International could have done better than these guys and they are a BIG JOKE!

ISCF ADDITION
There is one main thing we have noticed about the CAMO sanctioned events that have taken place that does bother us here at the ISCF. All the States that make a sanctioning body go through an approval process in the United States require the sanctioning body to report all event results to the Official ABC Boxing's designated MMA Database website which is www.mixedmartialarts.com "The ABC signed a three year contract with MMA, LLC, (www.mixedmartialarts.com) to be the official mixed martial arts record keeper of the ABC. Several new features have been developed since the commission that you will want to check out like obtaining a list of all amateur and professional events that have occurred within your jurisdiction. We will strive to continue to improve the database."

As of this posting CAMO has sanctioned 7 amateur MMA events and of those 7, CAMO is 0 for 7 in reporting the results to the "Official" MMA Database. That's a score below an "F", if there is such a thing.

Not a single fight result has been reported by CAMO to Mixedmartialarts.com. Which means, NONE of the CAMO fighters will receive Official Recognition and credit for what they did on a CAMO Sanctioned event and NONE of them will receive credit as an Amateur Fighter for the CAMO sanctioned events they fight on.

Here are the events CAMO has done so far below:

1. JANUARY 29th, 2010:
   Pasadena, CA, Fight Academy, 'Proving Grounds', Promoter: Savant Young and John Bostick
   • NO REPORT SUBMITTED TO MMA DATABASE
     
     
2. JANUARY 22nd, 2010
   Montebello, CA, "Battle of the Rising Stars" All-Star / Ka-Boom, Promoter: Ed Holmes.
   • NO REPORT SUBMITTED TO MMA DATABASE
     
     
3. JANUARY 22nd, 2010
   Sacramento, CA, "Starting Point", Stand Up Fighters, Inc. Promoter Gary Shurley.
   • NO REPORT SUBMITTED TO MMA DATABASE
     
     
4. JANUARY 16th, 2010
   Santa Barbara, CA, California Fight Syndicate, "Heavy Hitters", Promoter Jeff Restivo.
   • NO REPORT SUBMITTED TO MMA DATABASE
     
     
5. DECEMBER 5th, 2009
   Los Angeles, CA, "Conquest in the Cage 6," All-Star / Ka-Boom, Promoter: Ed Holmes.
   • NO REPORT SUBMITTED TO MMA DATABASE
     
     
6. NOVEMBER 28th, 2009
   The first all-amateur CAMO-regulated event.
   Santa Maria, CA, Promoter Jeff Restivo's California Fight Syndicate, "Battle at the Barracks,"
   • NO REPORT SUBMITTED TO MMA DATABASE
     
     
7. NOVEMBER 20th, 2009
   First CAMO Pro/AM with CA State Commission: Montebello, CA, All-Star / Ka-Boom, Promoter: Ed Holmes.
   • NO REPORT SUBMITTED TO MMA DATABASE

3-8-10

CAMO WAKES UP!
Well..."ONCE..." Anyway...
After Sanctioning "12" Amateur MMA Events In California,
They Finally Posts Their FIRST EVENT To The Official MMA Database
HOWEVER, THEIR PRACTICE OF NON REPORTING CONTINUES IN 2010!

Well... It's a START.
However, probably the ONLY reason the February 26th, San Jose, California CAMO event was sent in to the ABC's (Association of Boxing Commissions) - Official MMA Database was because...
A: Someone at the California State Commission did so...
B: Promoter Scott Coker did so along with his Pro Results or
C: CAMO wanted to mark history showing they were a part of a "STRIKEFORCE" event.

Even more of a LAUGH was the opening paragraph on the CAMO News page about their involvement in the event which read:

"California amateur MMA was given a big vote of credibility this weekend, as one of the largest MMA promotions in the world, Strikeforce, held their first pro-am MMA event at the San Jose Civic Auditorium, as part of their "ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challengers" series."

LOL! Please... Strikeforce didn't choose CAMO because they thought they were, of all things, "Credible". There was only ONE reason Strikeforce used CAMO with their Amateur undercard... Because they HAD TO USE THEM. There was NO OTHER CHOICE!

CAMO's reporting to the Official MMA Database is, well, TERRIBLE! Or can you even casll it that since they don't do it at all?

To see the results of this "1" CAMO event on the Official MMA Database, click HERE.

Unfortunately, CAMO events that happened before and after the Strikeforce event were NOT added to the MMA Database, just like the ones above. Here is a list of those event from their website:

• FEBRUARY 27th, "Fighters, Not Lovers" in Canoga Park, California.
• FEBRUARY 20th, "Friday Night Fights" at Urijah Faber's Ultimate Fitness in Sacramento, California.
• FEBRUARY 20th, Dragon House MMA, San Francisco, California.
• FEBRUARY 20th, Chualar, California.

Unlike the mandatory procedures and practices of the ISCF, ISKA, KICK International and some other "So Called" some amateur mma sanctioning group have a habit of allowing Pros to fight Amateurs, not reporting to the Official MMA Database, Not upholding KO/TKO Medical suspensions, and not posting event results on their own web pages. Heck, if we compare these groups together, all in all, they ALL FAIL Amateur MMA in the same way because as the facts present themselves, it's clear that... It's just a Money Game to them!

Oh well, ONE out of "TWELVE" isn't that bad for CAMO... Or is it...

Keep in mind, if a fighter gets KO'ed or TKO'ed on a CAMO event, they can EASILY go and fight somewhere like an Indian Reservation, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona or ANYWHERE for that matter a week later. So you see, NOT reporting their events IS a Safety issue. The question is, Will the State of California step up and discipline CAMO for not being responsible and doing the work of a sanctioning body, or do we all have to wait until CAMO's lack of responsibility kills an Amateur Fighter. Does this have to happen before someone wakes up and takes notice about CAMO's "Lack" of work and "Vast" amounts of income for less work than other legit MMA Sanctioning Organizations?

It's on your shoulders CSAC... May want to take a closer look at your beloved, chosen CAMO...

3-11-10

WHO IS ETHICAL IN THE FIGHT GAME...
And Who is Looking At The $$$
And Maybe An INSIDE Angle To That $$?

Did any of you know that Big John McCarthy is the referee for fights on a show called "Bully Beatdown"? WEB PAGE

This is an event where "SEASONED PROFESSIONAL MMA FIGHTERS" get in the cage in fight guys who have NEVER fought in the cage or ring as an amateur or pro fighter.

The only thing more outrageous than this is that the UTAH State Athletic Commission (USAC) sanctions it..."Go Utah!"
Lets remember though... The USAC is also the only Commission in the USA that allows PRO MMA Fighters to fight as AMATEUR Fighters and switch back to Pro, back to amateur etc. etc...

Oh wait... One other tidbit of those being "Ethical"... Guess who is one of the Producers of this event...CAMO head man, Jeremy Lappen Not to mention, Lappen is not only the head of CAMO, but talk about a conflict of interest, he's also a Agent and Manager for some PRO MMA Fighters... So is CAMO his feeding grounds where he finds his talent to manage in the Pros?

Amazing... The stories keep coming on what is really behind CAMO...

THURSDAY, APRIL 8th, 2010

BREAKING CAMO NEWS
Could Be BAD NEWS For The future Of CAMO!

It was confirmed today that the California State Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development is conducting an "OVERSIGHT HEARING" on Monday, April 26th, 2010 on the CSAC (California State Athletic Commission) from 1:30 PM. or upon adjournment of Session in Room 3191.

The meeting title is:

SUBJECT: The California State Athletic Commission: Has the Commission Lost Its Punch?
Which can be found by clicking here and scrolling down to the date of Monday, April 26th, 2010.

Included in that meeting will be a discussion as to how the organization, CAMO was appointed or delegated the authority to oversee Amateur Mixed Martial Arts in the State of California.

As strange as it sounds, the CSAC is granted immunity from answering any questions about "HOW" they determined that "Pankration" was not only a "Full Contact Fight Sport" but also, "HOW" was the CSAC allowed to give authority to CAMO to regulate it.

The issue here is that in "Pankration", the contact is often far lighter than at most "Karate or Martial Arts Tournaments" yet, the CSAC, for whatever reasons, granted full regulation of Pankration events to CAMO. This was never a part of the "Amateur MMA Sanctioning Body Appointment" issue prior to CAMO's appointment. If it were, the Pankration community would have surly put their own "Non Profit" organization forward to regulate MMA or at least Pankration. Their organization is worldwide and associated with FILA (In French this is - Fédération Internationale des Luttes Associées which in English is - International Federation of the Associated Fights) www.fila-wrestling.com). In the USA, the Pankration Organization that organizes a lot of their events is the The USA Federation of Pankration 'USAFPA' - www.usafpa.com

Both organizations are LEGIT Sanctioning organization for Pankration. Giving authority to CAMO to regulate and oversee Pankration in California or even in someone's backyard sandbox is like giving 10 year old Bobby in the sandbox the regulatory authority to oversee NASCAR or the NFL. Simply put, the CSAC's appointment to oversee Pankration was a BIG Slap in the Face and about as big as insults can come, which proves yet another thing. Not only do the CAMO people have no idea what Pankration is, but neither does anyone who made this decision with the CSAC, and they must also have even less respect for a sport that has been around since the FIRST OLYMPIC Games!!

Lets not forget, CAMO has NEVER sanctioned, regulated or had ANY Official regulatory or event official experience prior to their appointment by the CSAC in MMA or Pankration. so AGAIN, the question NEEDS to be asked...

HOW does a State Government Agency (California State Athletic Commission) delegate regulation authority to an organization ( CAMO ) with ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE in the field they are being granted authority to regulate, and WORSE yet, ADD TO IT by giving them yet ANOTHER sport to regulate (Pankration) that they know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT!?!?

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!
WHO ALLOWED IT?

When asked last year on the weekend prior to the CSAC decision to appoint a "Non profit" Sanctioning Body for Amateur MMA, LONG before he knew the CRAP CAMO has presented the California Amateur MMA Scene with, we asked ISCF President Steve Fossum, "Who would you choose between the two non profits up for appointment?" his answer was, "Well, what we have here is an issue of grading on the curve. Neither organization is deserving of the appointment, one we have witnessed their terrible acts (Kick International) and the other, is the unknown, but also sheds NO Experience. Sadly as my thought may sound for now, but sometimes the best decision is NO Decision. But if we are forced into choosing one, I'd feel more comfortable with an unknown right now than the unethical work we have seen from Kick! however, again, I'm not content there is a RIGHT decision to make here. So again, sometimes the best decision is NO Decision."

Little did Fossum know at the time that this may have been the best decision for the "Greater Good" of Amateur MMA. True, it would have delayed the process even more, and kept Amateur MMA from being legal in California for who knows, another year, 2, 3? Maybe what should have been done was to lobby the state into changing the "OLDTIME" Non Profit clause that was only placed in for USA Amateur boxing in the CSAC's laws for appointment and delegation. Yes, hindsight is 20-20 but no one can disagree now that this SHOULD have been the move instead of appointing an "Out of control money hungry beast known as CAMO! "

There are many questions on the notepads of loads of Amateur MMA Fighters, Trainers, Officials and of course, Promoters. Some of these questions have been sent to the ISCF in hopes they can explain them. However, the ISCF can't answer questions about CAMO's unethical behavior. These are questions that should be asked of the CSAC because "THEY" created the Beast, and ONLY They can slay the dragon... MANY of these questions should be addressed at this hearing, but we doubt they will. And if not, we surly hope the CSAC takes some time to addressed them to the leaders of CAMO...

1. HOW did CAMO, a company with NO Regulatory experience at all, be appointed by a State Government agency to regulate a "Full Contact Fight Sport" in one of the most active fight sport states in the nation? HOW???
   
   
2. Why is CAMO allowed to charge over "12 TIMES" more than ANY other LEGIT and ESTABLISHED MMA Sanctioning body "In The World" to Sanction their event? A fee that is even "5 TIMES" higher than the CSAC charges an Amateur Kickboxing Promoter, which neither include any of the Officials Fees. WHY???
   
   
3. Why is CAMO allowed to "Demand" they receive 5% of the AMATEUR Promoters Gross Gate? NO Other "Sanctioning Body" in the WORLD charges such a fee! How does CAMO get this fee? Simple, as the ONLY Amateur MMA Sanctioning body allowed to do business in the State of California, CAMO has a Monopoly on the sport and can basically charge whatever they want, and no one at the CSAC is questioning it. WHY???
   
   
4. Why is CAMO allowed to charge $115.00 to register a fighter for "1 Year" and claims it's also for a Free pair of CAMO Gloves and 2 CAMO Rash Guards... However, the fighters are required to give these so called FREE items BACK TO CAMO at the end of the year... WHY?
   
   
5. The report of CAMO Officials taking CASH from event Promoters for fighter registrations, officials fees and other fees and not being given any receipts. Is this true?
   
   
6. Why doesn't CAMO do any fighter background checks to assure a fighter has not fought as a Pro fighter in any other full contact style fight sport. WHY?
   
   
7. Why hasn't CAMO EVER reported ANY of their event results to the Official Association of Boxing's MMA Database to assure their bouts, AND MEDICAL Suspensions are posted for others to see. WHY?
   
   
8. Why is CAMO making it mandatory for new officials to go through a $500 PLUS training course before being allowed to work a CAMO event. WHY?
   
   
9. Why, after completing the course, does CAMO require them to work 10 "Events" for FREE before being paid. WHY?
   
   
10. Why does CAMO collects an officials work fee from the Promoter "In Cash" for those officials that work for FREE. Is this True? If so, Where does that money go?

Questions need to be asked. If the CSAC is not asking them to CAMO, we can only hope that the California State Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development will "Persuade" the CSAC to do so!
ASK WHY and HOW did this happen in CALIFORNIA!?

WEDNESDAY, April 21st, 2010, AT 9:00 AM/PST

• The GOOD NEWS...
  
  
  1. CAMO now says the fighters that pay or have paid $115.00 to Register can now Keep their Rash Guards and Gloves.
     They don't have to give them back at the end of the year.
  2. CAMO plans to start a Charity for school kids called "Keep It in The CAGE" to stop kids from fighting on the streets.
  3. CAMO plans to start a scholarship program for fighters.
  4. CAMO plans to host a California Amateur MMA Tournament this fall.
  5. CAMO plans to start a Give Blood program from the fighters when they do their blood tests.
     • All Great ideas and we and many others look forward to seeing them all implemented...
       • That is, If they truly happen...or are these fresh new ideas just more salesman talk by CAMO to keep the Commission's attention away from all the complaints about them...?

The OTHER News?...

On Monday night, April 19th, prior to the Tuesday, April 20th, California State Athletic Commission ( CSAC ) meeting in Van Nuys, California, ISCF President Steve Fossum was elected by several individuals (who have been complaining about CAMO's actions since being appointed to regulate Amateur MMA in California) to bring up some of the concerns and questions to the CSAC Board during the "Open Comment" section of the meeting. Fossum noted to the CSAC Board the issues that have come up about the exorbitant fees CAMO is charging promoters and fighters as a so called, "Non Profit" regulatory body and issues related to experience as a "Regulatory Body."

After Fossum's comments, CAMO head, Jeremy Lappen stood up to speak. Instead of addressing ANY of Fossum's comments, he instead took a surprise defensive position like a defense attorney or a good politician and tried to point out faults of the ISCF. Most in the room at this moment were asking, "WHY are you attacking the ISCF? They have nothing to do with CAMO or the regulating of Amateur MMA in California?"

Lappen's defensive speech seemed like a cry for help to try and bring everyone's focus to ISCF faults and off of those brought up about CAMO. A smart move by any Lawyer, as Lappen is...however sadly, all of his accusations towards the ISCF were false. Maybe he should have did a little more research to assure his accusations and some of the comparisons he made between CAMO and the ISCF were outright ridiculous, claiming that CAMO demands several things that ISCF does not. However, what everyone knows is that the ONLY reason Lappen and his CAMO company are able to demand some of these items is because he has a MONOPOLY in California and EVERYONE HAS TO do as he says. There is no other choice. Lappen's CAMO would NEVER make it in the open market, which is what many in California wanted. Another sanctioning body to choose from instead of CAMO, offering an open market of competition, not a Monopoly where people only follow rules because "They have to!"

One of the most laughable points was where Lappen claimed he and his staff have a vast amount of experience in regulating events as event promoters. What he failed to mention is that EVERY promotion he had ever been a part of has went belly up. on top of that, many in the room related to the fact that "Regulating" YOUR OWN event from a "Promoters Perspective" as compared to a "Regulatory Body" for the health and safety as well as fairness of EVERYONE involved in an event are vastly different areas.

Once he was done, actually a little before, it was made clear by the Chair of the CSAC, John Frierson, that he personally has no desire to hear any complaints about CAMO. His comment was, "What is done is done, lets move on." He also noted that this was also the feelings of the other CAMO board members.

In other words, If the CSAC Commissioners made an error in appointing CAMO, so be it, "It is what it is."
Frierson did not wish to hear or entertain any accusations or complaints about CAMO at this time or ever. This was because the CSAC Board appointed CAMO and they just don't want to be burdened by or shoulder any of these complaints that they feel are related to CAMO. It appeared that his feelings are that CAMO regulates themselves, and that the CSAC has no real desire to field any complaints about their lack of experience in the areas of regulating fight sports. The CSAC do not want to hear about complaints many are making about CAMO from their work practices, regulatory practices, faults or misguided decisions, exorbitant fees, and the list goes on. That being said, as far as Amateur MMA in California goes... According to State commissioners such as John Frierson,

"It is what it IS."

No matter how many problems or complaints the Commission receives about them...

APRIL 29th, 2010

ON ANOTHER NOTE
LOOKING AT AMATEUR KICKBOXING & MUAY THAI IN CALIFORNIA...

The CSAC is now thinking about appointing a "Non Profit" Amateur Muay Thai group to regulate amateur Muay Thai just like CAMO is regulating Amateur MMA. The group they are looking at is just like CAMO, a group that has never sanctioned ANY Muay Thai or Kickboxing events, and who knows what they will charge for their sanctioning, fighter registration etc. etc....
Why is the CSAC thinking this? Because they lose money on Amateur Kickboxing and Muay Thai events.
If this happens, God help Muay Thai and Kickboxing in California...

MAY 1st, 2010

WOW What A Hearing...

Seems the California State Athletic Commission ( CSAC ) is in A LOT of hot water about CAMO!
This is a big lesson learned as they tried to stick up for an Organization even THEY are not happy with... Or at least at the front office level. Who knows at the CSAC "BOARD" level...And in a shocking turn around, CAMO's FAULTS became the focus some Senators had towards the CSAC! What were faults of CAMO, quickly became the Problems of the CSAC, and WOW! Did this support for CAMO ever backfire and take a sudden turn for the worse for the CSAC!!!

During the hearing, members of the CSAC were asked how can CAMO do their job, and the Commission did all kinds of bragging about CAMO. When done, the Senate asked, "If an organization with no experience, and no money from our state is doing such a great job.........then why do we need you?" (meaning the CSAC) "We need to consider making you a bureau instead of a commission and save hundreds of thousands of dollars."

You could have heard a pin drop!

No one with the Commission had a response, and how could they! They tried to once again "Protect the monster they created, or allowed to live, (CAMO ) and in doing so, hurt themselves..."

Like the southern California meeting, the commission tried and justify their CAMO appointment by bragging about them, and allowed CAMO to brag about what all they "PLAN" to do... And in doing so, the CSAC cut off their own foot... What a turn of events.

It was also made clear in the hearing that now CAMO can't make it a mandatory requirement for fighters fighting on their events to use their CAMO gloves and rashgaurds now.

Adding to all this, many are aware that ISCF President Steve Fossum didn't attend the meeting, but the question now is why? Fossum was told by Sarah Mason of the Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development that there was no reason for him to be there. That no action would be taken and that his presence would not make any difference. It was only a "Hearing" where the Senators just listened to complaints, such as the ones Fossum already brought up on behalf of the mass of Amateur MMA and Pankration people in California at the Southern California CSAC meeting. However, those attending this recent hearing are now saying if Fossum were there to speak personally about what he knows about regulating MMA and what he has seen himself about CAMO, that it could have very well been the straw that broke the camels back for CAMO's future in regulating MMA in California, or ANYWHERE for that matter!

Here's the smoking gun for all of you... True it was Sarah Mason who told Fossum there was no need for him to be there. The smoking gun here was the over friendly relationship Mason seemed to have with the CAMO guys at the hearing. Almost too friendly... Did Mason know how valuable Fossum's testimony would have been? Did she purposely try to persuade Fossum to stay home and not attend the meeting? Many are making this claim now, but who really knows.

Some of Mason's comments mirrored our friend on the Commission, John Frierson, when she said, "The senators don't care about the past, they just want to see where we are now........."

During the meeting a promoter got up and blasted CAMO, their prior business track record, their under the table way of allowing the promoters to pay the fighters, etc, etc, and if you see the video of the meeting you just might catch Mason insistently tugging at the sleeve of one of the Senators trying to get him to stop his testimony, because they told everyone they only had 3 minutes for public comment. Was she trying to protect the CAMO boys?

The Senators were clearly outraged by the obvious mismanagement of CAMO, the sloppiness of the CSAC and the obvious pursuit of profit by CAMO. When the speaker said "I'm sorry, I'm probably past my 3 minutes." instead of being told to sit down, he was told "Don't worry about it, keep going."

When the meeting was over, Mason walked up to the CAMO boys, (Jeremy Lappen and J.T. Steele) and said, "I just have a few words to say, if I can jump in, it went great, your bullet points really got across, and they were very impressed by......etc, etc, etc," praising them and trying to make them feel like they won. Is this the right actions of someone on the staff who called this hearing to investigate the CSAC and CAMO? Sounds more like a supporter of CAMO instead of someone on the staff of those investigating them for wrongful actions.

And what about CAMO's appointment to regulate Pankration? Well, this too is now in question after the hearing, so much that now the CSAC is working to set up a meeting to look at this. Apparently it's all in the "NAME". Promoters can call it Jiu Jitsu or whatever just don't call it Pankration for now.

Sources say the California State Athletic Commission is now in question and many are scared about losing there jobs... All because they thought appointing CAMO was a good idea... Seems that good idea has taken a turn for the worse, and one of the casualties will be the State Athletic Commission... Someone at the hearing said, "I have no remorse for them, Hey, they brought this on themselves..." Sadly, these could be the most honest words of the hearing.

June 15th, 2010

MORE FALSE PROMISES BY
CAMO!
"And Your Surprised...?"

Back on Tuesday, April 20th of this year at the California State Athletic Commission ( CSAC ) meeting in Van Nuys, California, CAMO head Jeremy Lappen (Right) promised the CSAC that they would start listing all their results with the Association of Boxing's Official MMA Database on mixedmartial arts.com.

Well, that was almost "TWO" months ago and STILL, CAMO has never submitted ANY of their results to the Official MMA database.

By not doing so brings an added risk for amateur mma fighter. Already there have been several fighters since CAMO took over that have tried to fight on other Amateur MMA events after getting stopped on a CAMO regulated event by TKO or KO that should be under a mandatory medical suspension. However, other regulatory/sanctioning bodies such as the ISCF or ISKA as well as other State Athletic Commissions across the Nation have no way of knowing if a fighter who has fought on a CAMO event is under medical suspension. This is not just because CAMO can't follow a National Association of Boxing Commissions mandatory rule (A Rule that all LEGIT Regulatory/sanctioning bodies follow along with State Athletic Commissions) but because CAMO doesn't even post any of their suspensions on their news page with their event results.

CAMO feels you should WORK to find their suspensions instead of making them easy to find like EVERY other regulatory body does. Maybe CAMO feels they are "Above the law' as compared to other regulatory bodies. Due to their lack of follow up, CAMO allows all their fighters to be at risk by skipping out of any medical suspensions they may attain from any TKO/KO's.

This is not the only issue though. By not reporting fight results to the MMA Database, a fighters TRUE fight record will always be in question. Since CAMO is too lazy to have Amateur MMA rankings for their fighters (All they deal with is California Amateur MMA fighters so how hard can this really be...) other promoters have no way of knowing what the true background is on fighters who fight on a CAMO event.

This is nothing new though. CAMO has had a habit of saying one thing and doing another. Word on the street is that CAMO's on it's way out and the CSAC will soon oversee Amateur MMA. Seems like CAMO has ruined it for all the other "LEGIT" regulator - sanctioning bodies such as ISCF or ISKA to oversee the sport. Until anything changes, amateur mma will continue to be a "Profit Cow" for the heads of CAMO who have yet to expose their "Non-Profit" books to anyone. It will be interesting to see how CAMO tries to justify their expense claims.

Lappen stands firm with his stance of "You need to support CAMO rather than down us! We have to make a living too." it's just too bad he and others associated at the top levels of CAMO are making big bucks off of "AMATEUR" MMA fighters trying to get a start into MMA.

Here's a list of what Lappen promised the CSAC he was going to do with CAMO in the coming months and so far, the ONLY thing that has been implemented is that the fighters now get to keep their rash guards and gloves... Although GREAT ideas of any organization, as expected, it looks like these things were just salesman/attorney "Jabber" by Lappen to keep the Commission's attention away from all the complaints about them. Seems like it's worked so far, but all "Talk" and no action can only take you so far... Here are the great plans, but now 2 months later, no follow up at all...

1. CAMO now allows the fighters that pay or have paid $115.00 to Register can Keep their Rash Guards and Gloves.
   They don't have to give them back at the end of the year as was the previous requirement.
2. CAMO planned to start a Charity for school kids called "Keep It in The CAGE" to stop kids from fighting on the streets. Almost 2 months after announcing this idea, nothing has been noted about the idea on their website.
3. CAMO planned to start a scholarship program for fighters. Almost 2 months after announcing this idea, nothing has been noted about the idea on their website.
4. CAMO planned to host a California Amateur MMA Tournament this fall. Almost 2 months after announcing this idea, nothing has been noted about the idea on their website.
5. CAMO planned to start a Give Blood program from the fighters when they do their blood tests. Almost 2 months after announcing this idea, nothing has been noted about the idea on their website.

MORE Downfalls For California Amateur MMA

More and More AMATEUR MMA
Moving Out Of California!

With all the crap CAMO is slinging towards Amateur MMA, more and more amateur fighters are getting on Amateur MMA events in Reno and Las Vegas Nevada. It's a GREAT alternative to the unorganized chaos many have been dealing with in California where CAMO officials show up hours late to weigh-ins, take way too much time (due to lack of experience... such as NONE!) with weigh-ins, fighter registration, etc. etc. and many more issues of disorganization.

"The entire CAMO experience is a JOKE!" said one trainer who is now a regular on ISCF and ISKA events in Nevada. "I don't see why the California Commission doesn't dump CAMO and allow ISCF and ISKA to oversee amateur MMA in California because it's clear, even after months of events, CAMO is still a disorganized Joke!"

Many trainers and fighters feel the same way and many are skipping the California CAMO events for more organized events in Nevada. If this keeps up, California MMA will be right back to square one where it was a year ago... Nonexistent! And we can all thatk smooth talkin attorney, turned MMA expert (Overnight) Jeremy Lappen and his desire for $$ in his misguided CAMO Cash Cow for it.

OCTOBER, 2010


QUOTES OF THE DAY...
RE: CSAC Commissioners John Frierson and Mario Rodriguez' support of CAMO Appointment.


These two were the main drive to approve CAMO.
As put by a source associated with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's office, "What happened here with this CAMO thing is as stupid and irresponsible as someone hiring on a 3 year old child and thinking they have the qualifications and experience to fly a fighter jet in combat... It may seem like fun and one may profit from the stories it will get in the press, but in the short as well as the long run, it's a TRAGIC and irresponsible decision, yet, somehow it happened."

No one wants to call anyone "Stupid". However, as the same source said it, "If Rodriguez and Frierson made this decision based on camo's submitted paperwork, one would call that Stupid! However, if they are not stupid, the next question would be WHY would they appoint them and it would need to be much more than a 'Non-profit' status. I don't think neither of them are Stupid, but it sure makes you question the alternative after knowing what they knew prior to their appointment and even more so now after seeing CAMO operate a year. "

WE GIVE UP...
There is just TOO MANY negative things Camo is doing week to week to report here...

And who Cares...
Even CSAC Sitting Chairman John Frierson said.

"It is what it is, lets just move on..."

JANUARY, 2013

WE JUST HAD TO ADD THIS IN HERE...

Benito "The Golden Boy" Lopez
Just made headlines after winning another Amateur Bout this past weekend.
CLICK HERE

However, Lopez just isn't getting the NATIONAL recognition of his Achievements his deserves.

As a matter of California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) Requirements, Camo, the (So called - But Required by the CSAC to be Non Profit ) group appointed by the California State Athletic Commission to oversees amateur MMA in California is required to report ALL their fight results to the Association of Boxing's (ABC - www.abcboxing.com) National Approved MMA Database, Mixedmartialarts.com

Those of you serious in the MMA fight game know about this requirement as well as the site. However, we must feel sad for nearly all the Camo regulated fighter such as Lopez since few realize his true accomplishments. This is because nearly all of the Camo regulated fighter's are missing most of their fight results from Camo regulated events as part of their personal database page on the National Database website.

No different for Benito Lopez… Although Camo has him on their own database (HERE ) Only "ONE" of his Camo regulated bouts is listed on the Official MMA Database on his database page HERE.

Oh, and to add to this, a note to all Amateur MMA Promoters around the Nation who feel they are paying too much to their sanctioning bodies or State Commissions for Sanctioning/Regulation of their events… This past weekend Benito "The Golden Boy" Lopez fought on the West Coast Fighting Championship Event in Sacramento California. Although the CA State Commission regulated the event and all the officials were CA State Commission Officials, Camo still was allowed to charge the promoters $250 PER AMATEUR BOUT as allowed by their appointment to regulate Amateur MMA in California.

So for the 3 Amateur Bouts WCFC held on their event, it cost them
$750.00!

This did not include Insurance, any officials, NOTHING other than for Camo to allow an Amateur Bout to happen on this event… And we all wonder why pretty much EVERYONE associated with Amateur MMA in CA want to dump Camo.

Oh, and this is not an ad for the ISCF either because if your asking what we want, we want the California State Athletic Commission to take over Amateur MMA in California! However if not, allow other sanctioning bodies to come into CA to compete with Camo… Oh and we know Camo won't like that because their BASE Sanctioning Fee that again, DOES NOT include ANY Officials Fees, Any Insurance Fee, ANYTHING other than for them to simply ALLOW an Amateur MMA event to take place in CA runs between $1,500 and $2,500!!!

So your probably asking how would a sanctioning body such as the ISCF or ISKA compare to Camo? Both ISCF and ISKA only charge $200.00 to Sanction/Regulate an Amateur MMA Event…

Ya… Camo would be pretty upset in their pocketbook if they got kicked to the curb in California! It's no wonder their logo has so much GREEN in it, as it seems these guys are "All About the $$!"

ONE MORE PIECE OF READING IF YOU DESIRE...
MARCH 9th, 2010

"THE INCIDENT"